Broadcasting used to mean “sowing of seeds” over a wide field. Now, broadcasting is thought of as a form of media which aims to reach a large audience. The first broadcasting was actually one telephones and let listeners hear performances through the receiver. It wasn’t until the invention of the radio and TV that broadcasting really began to grow into a massive media.

Starting from the early 1900s, recorded and live broadcasts began to reach many homes in developed countries. Over the span of the century, radio and TV broadcasting grew into different stations and channels which were run by broadcast networks. These networks were generally funded by governmental, nonprofit, or private sources. Broadcasting on TV and radio became a very popular manner for advertising media and also a source of income for broadcasters.

As broadcasters expanded, they would often grow into entire networks. This is especially true with TV broadcasting. The term “broadcast network” is used to distinguish the TV networks that broadcast programs on channels via a television antenna with an over-the-air signal versus networks that broadcast with cable or satellite.

The social impact of broadcasting has been huge. It has had a great affect on communication, dissemination of information, and creating cultures such as with music broadcasting and even creating slang terms. Now, broadcasting is reaching an even larger audience with webcasting which allows people or networks to broadcast on the internet.